Magnificent Jerk

Hysterical investigates a mysterious illness that spreads among a group of high school girls in upstate New York. What is causing their sudden, often violent symptoms? Is there something in the water or inside the school? Or is it “all in their head?” The series examines the outbreak in LeRoy, NY, believed by some to be the most severe case of mass hysteria since the Salem Witch Trials. In his search for answers, Dan Taberski (9/12, Missing Richard Simmons, Running from Cops) explores other seemingly inexplicable events of the last few years – CIA officers being crippled with nausea and vertigo; cops OD’ing from exposure to fentanyl – and discovers they’re far more connected than we realize.

From Wondery and Pineapple Street Studios, this 7-part series forces us to grapple with the mysteries of our own minds, and reckon with a contagion that we thought was long dead, but may be the defining disorder of our time.

Follow Hysterical on Apple Podcasts. You can binge all episodes of Hysterical early and ad-free right now by joining Wondery+

Like the DVD commentary of old, we get a behind-the-scenes look at the making of Magnificent Jerk. 

Magnificent Jerk is an Apple Original podcast, produced by Pineapple Street Studios. Follow and listen on Apple Podcasts.

apple.co/MagnificentJerk

Maya returns to her aunties, nervous to tell them all that she’s learned. 

Magnificent Jerk is an Apple Original podcast, produced by Pineapple Street Studios. Follow and listen on Apple Podcasts.

apple.co/MagnificentJerk

Galen takes the helm as a director in a final bid for success. Maya revisits his other scripts and realizes what he was trying to say all along. 

Magnificent Jerk is an Apple Original podcast, produced by Pineapple Street Studios. Follow and listen on Apple Podcasts.

apple.co/MagnificentJerk

Deep in Slovakia, a ragtag team of filmmakers do their best to create a high-octane action film. Maya finally learns how her uncle’s story was whitewashed.

Magnificent Jerk is an Apple Original podcast, produced by Pineapple Street Studios. Follow and listen on Apple Podcasts.

apple.co/MagnificentJerk

Maya traces Galen’s surprising move to Hollywood to become an actor. And she learns that his greatest asset in this new world is his past.

Magnificent Jerk is an Apple Original podcast, produced by Pineapple Street Studios. Follow and listen on Apple Podcasts.

apple.co/MagnificentJerk

A recording reveals the crime that would ultimately put Galen in jail. But how bad did things need to get before it was time for him to make a change? Fiction becomes reality when Maya discovers the real-life love interest from his screenplay. 

Magnificent Jerk is an Apple Original podcast, produced by Pineapple Street Studios. Follow and listen on Apple Podcasts.

apple.co/MagnificentJerk

Growing up in Oakland’s Chinatown, Galen Yuen was known for getting into trouble. But was he capable of murder? Maya ventures into her uncle’s past to learn the truth about a violent gang war and how it influenced his Hollywood screenplay.

Magnificent Jerk is an Apple Original podcast, produced by Pineapple Street Studios. Follow and listen on Apple Podcasts.

apple.co/MagnificentJerk

Maya goes to visit her dying grandmother. While there, she’s given a box that sends her on a mission to discover her family’s biggest secrets and their connection to Rob Lowe, Burt Reynolds, and Ice-T.

Magnificent Jerk is an Apple Original podcast, produced by Pineapple Street Studios. Follow and listen on Apple Podcasts.

apple.co/MagnificentJerk

Meet Maya Lin Sugarman and her uncle Galen in the true story—of a fake story—about a real life.

Magnificent Jerk is an Apple Original podcast, produced by Pineapple Street Studios. Follow and listen on Apple Podcasts.

apple.co/MagnificentJerk